(VOVworld) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned Saturday that Saudi Arabia would pay a high price for following policies that led to the execution of Shi’ite preacher Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others for terrorism offences.

Iranian protesters set fire to pictures of the Saudi royal family in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran. (Photo: EPA)

Spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Hossein Jaber Ansari, strongly condemned the execution of Nimr, calling the execution the depth of imprudence and irresponsibility on the part of the Saudi government. For Iran, 56-year-old Nimr is the biggest influential leader in eastern Saudi Arabia. Nimr publicly criticized authorities, called on peace protests, and asked for holding elections. In 2014, Nimr was arrested by Saudi Arabia for an accusation of being behind terrorist attacks in the period of 2002 – 2006. Last October, the Saudi Arabian Supreme Court dismissed a claim of Nirm and sentenced to death on him. After Nimr’s death, a number of Shi'ite citizens in Iran have called on protests on Monday in Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran.